Outside the Box
by untapdtreasure
Summary: GSR post epi fic to inside the box. Grissom has the surgery and Sara finds out. What happens next?
1. Chapter 1

Outside the Box

By Jacquie and Sassy

Chapter 1

"Catherine, I really need to talk to Grissom. Do you know how I can reach him? It is very important." Sara said walking into Grissom's office and looked at Catherine as she sat doing the mound of paperwork that Grissom seemed to always forget.

Catherine barely looked up. "He's not here."

"Umm..duh. I know that. Haven't seen him in three weeks. This is very important. Emailing him hasn't worked." She flopped down in the chair across the desk. "He's out of town."

"You are no help." She got up and walked from the room. She pulled out her cell phone and tried his cellular one last time before giving up entirely. "Gil Grissom, you'd better pick up this phone."

"Sara...he's in the hospital," came Catherine's voice behind her. "He'll be back soon."

Her face paled. "The hospital? Is he sick?" She followed Catherine back to the office and Catherine shut the door.

'Griss is going to be upset with me that I told her.' She thought "Not exactly," she started slowly before meeting Sara's eyes. "He had surgery to correct his hearing."

"I knew something was up with him." She said more to herself than to Catherine. "Dessert Palm?"

She nodded.

"Shift is over. Do you need me for anything else?" She said standing up.

"Go home, Sara." Even as she said it, Catherine knew Sara would be going to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was slow. Rush hour was starting. She pulled into the hospital visitor car park and took a deep breath as she parked her car_. Just don't turn me out._

"Gil Grissom's room please?" She said to the nurse at the nurse's desk.

"Room 426."

"Thank you." She hit the elevator button up. She rode to the fourth floor. Standing outside room 426, she almost backed out.

She heard a voice behind her. "He's awake. Go on in." That gave her all the nerve she needed. She pushed open the door. "Grissom?"

Grissom thought he was still in a dream. He was hearing... "Sara..."

"You feeling okay enough to have visitors?" She said walking quietly up to his bedside. She had to resist the urge to move the hair from forehead.

"Sure." Grissom wasn't sure why she was here but he turned slightly so he was facing her.

"Everything okay?" he felt the need to ask.

"Yeah. I just need to talk to you about something, but it can wait." She took the chair and moved it closer to his bed before sitting down. Sara saw a flicker of disappointment and hurt before it disappeared behind his eyes again. "Why didn't you tell me, Griss?" She was angry at herself for not picking up on the signs before now.

Grissom opened his mouth starting to speak...then he sighed. "I guess...I didn't want to bother anybody with it."

------Flashback---------

Sara was nervous as she spoke, "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

He barely looked up at her "No."

Confused she pressed on, "Why not? Let's ... let's have dinner. Let's see what happens."

"Sara ..." He paused then sighed. "I don't know what to do about this."

Nodding, she continues, "I do." They look at each other. "You know, by the time you figure it out, you really could be too late." She walked out of his office and out of the building holding back her tears.

-----End flashback-------

"I'm not just anybody, Grissom."

"I know," he said softly. "And...I know this doesn't mean much coming from me...but I am sorry." Curiously enough his eyes were shiny.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I think I made a mistake turning you away."

"Did you?" She turned it around on him. She was through making the first move. He wanted her. He had to prove that he wanted her.

"I did." He took a breath. "I did make a mistake, Sara."

"How do 'we' fix it?"

"I fix it by showing you." Tentatively he reached for Sara's hand.

She let him take his hand in hers. "That's a start."

Grissom's body started to relax when he realized she wasn't going to pull away from her...but he also realized he had work to do to gain her trust again. "I need help Sara...I need you to tell me what you want from me," he said softly.

"Grissom, I just want a chance to prove to you that I don't care that you are fifteen years older than me. That 'this' isn't some school girl crush." Her eyes lowered to the floor.

His hand gently tilted her chin up.

She smiled softly. "When do you get paroled?"

His eyebrow went up at her phrasing. "You make me sound like I've been incarcerated Miss Sidle."

"Grissom, I know how you hate hospitals." She said standing up.

Grissom caught her hand. "This afternoon." Then he let go

She couldn't stand it anymore. She brushed the fallen strand of hair back off his forehead. Her fingers tingled as she touched his skin. "You growing a beard?" She said as she took in the scruff.

"You like it?" Grissom took in a sharp breath at her touch, then ordered himself to relax and let her do it.

She trailed her fingers down his stubbled cheek. She winked at him. "I do." She removed her hand. "Who is taking you home?"

"Nobody so far. Just you and Cath know I'm here. Oh and Doc Robbins."

"You aren't mad that she told me are you?"

"I was...but now not so much." At the hurt on her face, Grissom added "I wanted to tell you myself."

"Oh." She tried to smile. "I am off tonight. Can I take you home?"

"Are you sure I'm not any trouble? I don't want to stop you from taking some time off."

_Never mind I'm just going to stop talking now_. He closed his eyes and sighed again. "Thank you. I'd like that."

"Good, because I wasn't taking no for answer." She winked at him and hoped he got her double meaning.

He did. His voice was soft, which was uncharacteristic for Grissom. "I never want to say no to you."

She sat on the edge of his bed. "Then why did you?"

"I was afraid."

"If you live your life afraid, then you never really live." She said remembering something someone told her growing up.

He managed a smile as he fell silent.

"Do you need anything from home to get ready to go?" She said straightening the forensics magazines on the table beside his bed. She had a nervous habit of cleaning when she was nervous.

"Sara...stop." His gentle hand on hers stopped hers.

She blushed. "Nervous habit." She bit her lip.

Thinking he was doing something wrong, Grissom withdrew his hand. She mentally kicked herself. "You didn't...What I mean is..." She got up from the bed aggravated at herself. "Talking to you shouldn't be this hard."

"But it is," he said a little softer.

"I talk too much around you." She said looking back at him, the sunlight from the window glinting off her hair.

"Doesn't bother me."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Grissom, tell the truth. I can handle it."

"I am telling the truth."

She smiled that gap-toothed smile. Grissom got shivers down his spine at that.

His voice cracked a little. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Have breakfast with me?"

"Hospital food?" She wrinkled her nose.

"No hospital food."

"Okay. It's a date...I mean deal." She said blushing.

"You can say date." Grissom couldn't help a small smile.

She looked at him. "You owe me a real date." Her tone was serious.

"I know."

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean it that way."

"Actually I owe you the equivalent of five years' worth of dates"

"How about this." She walked toward him. "How about we wash away the past and start new? Today?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." His eyes met hers. She could see right into him.

"Want me to go for breakfast?"

"And you can get whatever you want. I'll pay."

"You are laid up in a hospital bed, I'll pay...won't take no for an answer." She said grabbing her coat. She tousled his hair and was headed out the door. She stopped her hand on the door. "What do you want?"

_I already have what I want...something I thought I'd never get. _"A blueberry muffin is fine."


	2. Chapter 2

"See you in a bit." She closed the door behind her. Did all that really happen? Was it a dream?

It took her going to three bakeries before she found blueberry muffins. It was an hour later when she returned. He was dressed and out of bed.

"Hey."

"Hey." He glanced at the mirror.

"It took me forever. Sorry." She put the bakery bag on the table.

"No worries." The phrase slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. Then he chuckled at himself. 'Been around Warrick and Cath too much'

She looked at him with a quizzical expression on her face. "I didn't know how many you wanted so I bought six."

"Good. We can share."

She smiled sweetly. "I bought me a poppy seed muffin."

"More for me then." Grissom gave her an impish grin. He rustled the bag and began eating like he hadn't had any food in a month.

"Slow down there. You don't want to choke." She said as she tentatively sat at the foot of his bed and picked at her muffin.

"Careful not to get any crumbs on the bed, Sara. They're very picky about things like that." Grissom lightly teased. When she met his eyes, he grinned at her.

She bumped him with her shoulder. "Oh you."

"You have to learn to relax, Sara," he said even as his body shivered slightly at the contact with her.

"I'm relaxed." She said with a mouthful of muffin.

A slight frown creased his forehead as he came to the realization that she hadn't eaten that much. Then he sighed. Not that he could mother her. Instead he turned back to his own thoughts and his own food.

She put down the half eaten muffin. "Wanna soda?"

"Sure," he said pensively.

She returned a minute later with two orange sodas. "This okay?"

"It's great. Thank you Sara." He reminded himself to smile at her as he took the soda can from her.

"So what time do you get released today?"

"In about an hour."

"Do you need groceries? I can always go and get them for you while you do the paperwork here." She said pinching off a piece of his muffin and poking into her mouth. She smiled really big.

Grissom studied her for a moment before his facade melted just enough for Sara to see inside him. "That would..." he stopped, taking a breath. 'Damn it Grissom, just get it out!' "Thank you, Sara. That would be nice."

"Just make me a list." I'm at your beck and call, Gil Grissom. When are you going to figure that out?

"You remember where my extra keys are right?"

She looked up at him. "I've never known where they were."

His cheeks tinged pink "Sorry... I'm not very imaginative but they're under the stairwell by the potted plant."

"Anyone could break in." She said.

"Brass keeps telling me the same thing."

"If you were feeling up to it, I'd say we could shop together once you were sprung." She said softly.

Grissom's eyes gravitated toward hers. He felt a lump in his throat. "I... hI don't want to be a bother," he said weakly.

"Gilbert Grissom, stop that."

"Stop what?"

"You could never be a bother to me." She was slightly hurt that he thought that. She stood and balled her napkin into her fist and threw it away.

"Bad habit, Sara." Now he sounded defeated again. 'How can she love me?' "I'll uh... I'll just see how the doctors are coming with my release papers."

She put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

To her surprise, Grissom didn't stiffen or pull away. He paused for a moment before carefully putting his hand on top of hers. "You don't have to apologize. I need work." He gave her a half smile.

"So do I." She said smiling at him. She could see it in his eyes as Grissom fought his protective instincts.

He gently pulled away. "I'll be back in a second."

She was standing at the window looking out when he returned. She didn't hear him come in. She was lost in thought.

"Sara?"

She started at his voice. "Sorry...was just daydreaming."

"The doctor says I can go."

She grabbed her jacket. "Then lets blow this Popsicle stand."

Grissom picked up his jacket and his duffle bag. He looked around him, having a momentary sensation of panic.

"Griss, you okay?" She was inches from him.

"Yeah." 'I know I have to relate to you and to others...but I have no idea what I'm doing.' He smiled at her. "Come on, let's go."

She walked out a head of him. "You don't have to ride down in a wheel chair?"

"Nope."

What he wasn't telling her was that he refused to ride in the wheelchair because that would be admitting that he had been weak. Resolutely he pushed the down button for the elevator.

On the third floor, a whole family crowded onto the elevator. Sara was pressed right up against Grissom. She just knew she was making him uncomfortable. "Sorry."

He put his arm around her and pulled her a little closer to him. She looked up at him. Goosebumps pimpled her flesh. She let her hand rest on his hip.

Now it was his turn to think he had gone too far. He instinctively let her go when they were off the elevator. She let a frown cross her face. She shoved the hospital door open. 'Great...You scared him off.'

"Sara, I hope I didn't cross any lines," he said as they walked outside.

"You didn't." _Why did you stop?_


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay." She was rewarded with a warm smile. 'I just needed to see what it was like...'

"So, my place then?" He stopped her in the middle of the parking lot looking at her intensely. "You'll tell me if I am won't you?"

She wanted to pull him to her for a kiss at that moment. He looked so scared, so cute, so... "Yeah, I'd tell you."

His body relaxed as he sighed softly. "Okay."

"How are we getting your car home?" She said softly.

"I guess you'll have to drive." He pressed the keys into Sara's hand brushing against her palm. He let his hand linger there for a moment though. His eyes searched hers, pleading with her to let him touch her, to be near her. She didn't pull away.

She waited for him to pull away. When he didn't, she laced her fingers through his. "Come on."

He willingly let her lead him. She looked around kind of lost. "Where you parked at anyway?

He gestured with his free hand. "Aisle F"

They found it a few minutes later. "Do you want to stop for groceries on the way? Or go back later?"

"We can stop now. I have no idea what I want though."

"Just the necessities."

"Right." He looked out the window.

They stopped at the store he usually stopped at. They got just what he needed for a few days. Sara insisted that he get a vitamin supplement. He only mildly disagreed when she placed them in the cart. The trip to his house was uneventful. Sara parked in his driveway. She hadn't realized that by driving him home, she had no way home herself.

"If you want you can call a cab." Grissom couldn't help feeling disappointed that she was leaving when she did realize it.

"You want me to go already?" Her heart sank.

"No." It was said so softly she almost didn't hear him.

She looked over at him. "You don't?"

"No."

She squeezed his hand. "Let's get you inside."

"I didn't mean to imply you had to leave.." I'm just going to stop talking now.

"You're stuck with me a little while longer today I'm afraid. I'm going to cook you a good meal...vegetarian meal but a good one." She said as she took the grocery bags in her hands.

Grissom silently followed her in. The place looked almost the same as the last time she'd been there. "So what would you like?"

"You know I'm not a fussy eater Sara. You're talking to the guy that eats ants on his toast." His eyes twinkled a little.

"That is so gross." She said sticking her finger in her throat and making a gagging sound.

"Actually it's not that bad." He chanced leaning over and kissing the back of her hand lightly. "But I won't do it in front of you."

Her hand felt like it was on fire. She blushed and smiled at him. "You can eat it if you want too...just don't ask me to join in."

"I know better." He gave her an affectionate smile.

"I guess dinner can wait though...we did just eat an hour or so ago." She said putting away the groceries. He had his townhouse kitchen laid out like her apartment kitchen. She found where everything went purely by instinct.

"Then can I make you some green tea?" He was itching to move around...or more accurately, itching to be a good host; to make a good impression.

"Sure." She said taking a seat on the bar stool.

"How's work been going?" was the only thing Grissom could think of to ask her as he started moving around his kitchen.

"Sam's gonna walk."

"Sam? You mean Sam Braun?"

"The one and only." She said playing with a pen that was lying on his counter.

"Sorry. I'm still a little out of it." He plugged in the kettle. "What happened?"

"I think maybe you should talk to Catherine." She said not meeting his eyes. "It's none of my business."

"Then talk about something you want to talk about."

His tone had been flat. She winced from it. "I didn't mean..." Tears sprang into her eyes.

Grissom studied her for a moment before coming around to her side of the counter and wordlessly putting his arms around her.

She didn't know if she should push him away or crumple into his arms. She chose the later. She held on tight to him but refused to cry

"Sara...I know I've screwed up…but please... don't hide from me," he whispered.

"I just don't want to come between you and Catherine. What is going on in that case, she needs to be the one to explain it to you. I don't have all the facts." She said tucking her head into his neck.

"It's okay." He reassured her. "Sara, why did you come?" Grissom asked the question with his heart in his throat, afraid she wouldn't answer the question.

"To tell you to forget what I'd asked you. It was causing a strain on our friendship and I couldn't live with that." She held on to him tighter afraid he'd move away and it would all be over now that she had given him an out.

"I don't want to forget."

She smiled against his neck and sighed. She could stay like this forever.

"Sssh..." Grissom whispered against her.

The kettle began to whistle. "Water's done."

"Yeah." Grissom was reluctant to let her go though. He felt safe holding her. With a quivering sigh that he didn't realize at first that she could hear, he released her and deftly unplugged the kettle.

"Forget the tea." She whispered.

"Living room?"

"Just hold me."

"Let's sit down. I can hold you a lot better," he said softly. He let her lead him to the couch. Almost desperately, he wrapped her in his embrace again, needing to be against her.

She laid her head against his chest listening to his heartbeat.

Grissom's eyes began to close in sheer contentment and safety. His eyes came open again as he reprimanded himself for thinking about himself.

She just laid there quietly, not allowing herself to think at all. She expected at any second to awake from a very, very good dream. This just couldn't be real. She sighed.

"You okay?" he murmured

"More okay than I've been since I came to Vegas."

He buried his face in her hair for a moment as a tear fell down his face. Her eyes began to slowly close. She hadn't felt tired like this since before he'd come into her life. "Sorry...tired." She yawned.

"That's okay." He started to reach for the blanket at her feet, intending to let her sleep on the couch. He took the chance of kissing her forehead.

"Don't go."

Grissom was almost grateful that Sara couldn't see that his eyes were still moist with tears. "We can lay down on the bed instead...I promise, I won't do anything." His voice nearly broke.

"I'll just hold you."

"I wouldn't stop you." She whispered. She stood slowly and held out her hand for him.

Her statement made him stop. "You wouldn't stop me...from doing anything?" He asked a little uncertainly. Then he sighed and kicked himself. Instead he took her hand.

"I've waited fifteen years for this, Gil Grissom." She squeezed his hand.

"I've waited for fifty…" he whispered softly.

She looked up into his eyes. "Let's stop waiting."

THE END


End file.
